This invention is generally concerned with a mailing machine including apparatus for selectively moistening and sealing envelopes, and more particularly with a mailing machine base including apparatus for selectively guiding envelopes toward and away from envelope moistening and sealing structure.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,037 for an Envelope Flap Sealing Device, issued May 22, 1984 to German Gavronsky and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, it is known in the art to provide a mailing machine comprising envelope flap moistening and sealing structure which includes a plurality of rollers for transporting an envelope in a downstream path of travel, a blade extending into the path of travel for separating the flap of an envelope fed thereto from the body of the envelope, a brush for moistening the glue bearing surface of the envelope flap and structure for guiding the flap into sealing relationship with the envelope body. In addition the '037 Patent discloses the provision of manually operable structure for selectively guiding an envelope either into or out of engagement with the flap separating blade and thus into or out of moistening relationship with the flap moistening brush. To that end, the flap moistening and sealing structure of the '037 Patent includes a cam which is manually movable between two positions, a cam follower located upstream from the separating blade and mounted for vertical movement in response to movement of the cam, a spring which is biased for urging the cam follower upwardly into engagement with the cam, and a baffle pivoted to the cam follower and extending downstream therefrom and across the path of travel of envelopes fed to the flap separating blade. As thus constructed and arranged, when the cam is manually located in one of the positions thereof, the spring urges the cam follower upwardly for locating the upstream end of the baffle above the path of travel, whereupon an envelope fed downstream in the path of travel toward the flap separating blade is fed beneath the baffle and guided thereby into engagement with the flap separating blade, which, in turn, guides the envelope flap into engagement with the flap moistening brush. On the other hand, when the cam is manually located in the other position thereof, the cam follower is urged downwardly thereby, against the force exerted by the spring, for locating the upstream end of the baffle in the path of travel, whereupon an envelope fed downstream in the path of travel toward the flap separating blade is deflected by the baffle over the flap separating blade and moistening brush, and thus out of engagement with the blade and out of moistening relationship with the brush.
Customer feedback concerning the manual operating characteristics of envelope flap moistening and sealing structures, of the type disclosed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,037, has established that such structures are perceived to be inconvenient and awkward to operate, due to the need to manually move mechanical components against a force exerted by a spring. In addition, it has been found that operators often use the mailing machine in the envelope flap moistening mode of operation and forget to return the manually movable cam to the non-flap-moistening position, wherein the baffle is located for guiding envelopes out of engagement with the flap deflecting blade. Whereupon a subsequent operator who assumes the machine is in the non-flap-moistening mode of operation may feed a sealed envelope through the machine with the result that the envelope is torn open by the flap deflecting blade.
Accordingly:
an object of the invention is to provide a mailing machine including improved moistening and sealing apparatus; PA1 another object is to provide a mailing machine including improved apparatus for selectively moistening and sealing envelopes; PA1 another object is to provide a mailing machine base including apparatus for selectively guiding envelopes toward and away from envelope flap moistening and sealing apparatus; and PA1 another object is to provide a mailing machine including an improved process for selectively moistening and sealing envelopes.